Cycle Ride and a Boo-boo!

I had a wonderful day today. As soon as I got up I tried to figure out a way that I could get three bikes in the back of my car. It's a Rav4, roomy but not that roomy. First of all I tried Small's bike in with half the back seat down. That went in fine so I took it out and tried mine. That was trickier. However, with a lot of panting, squeezing, swearing and changing of directions and with half of the seats down, I did it. Small's next on top of mine and then Smallest's in last which was a piece of cake. I went inside to tell the kids (who were watching TV, not had breakfast yet) that we were going on a bike ride today. Small said "I wondered what you were doing, I thought, is she gardening or taking out the recycling?" I said "didn't you want to come out help me?" Small shrugged and Smallest said "nah, I thought you were just trying to get away from us!". But I'd only just got up!!!!!!

So breakfast and a Skype to Moo and a Skype to Grandma and a quick picnic on the bag and we were away. We drove 25 minutes away, parked up next to the lake and started our Waterfront Trail bicycle Ride. It goes right along the lake and is a concrete path that goes for miles and miles. When Moo was here we walked 10km and we loved it. I didn't think we would go nearly that far as it was really the first ever long cycle ride we had ever done (and Smallest was fairly new to proper cycling).

The sun was out but it was cloudy so not too hot but not too cold. We had some lovely downhills and some terrible uphills and quite a few straight bits where we could look at the lake and watch the birds. It is a beautifully kept trail, full of wildlife and flowers and green spaces.

We managed to find four parks which we had to go on, many many benches which we had to stop at and lots of friendly chatty people and dogs (the dogs weren't overly chatty!).

We stopped for lunch on a bench overlooking the water and carried on to the boys favourite park where we succumbed to an ice-cream and an extensive play on the park.

Then when I realised Huffle was going to take Small golfing later this afternoon, we set off back for the car. 5km there and a massive 5 km back. On the way back we encountered more hills which of course were harder because the boys were tired. (Small found it especially tiring, need to get his muscles stronger, he stopped at nearly every bench and there are many!).

Smallest had a fall when he was coming down a hill, wobbled into the side and fell off. I thought it was a bad one as he appeared to fall flat on his face, and I imagined all sorts of horrible things. He had cut his knee and grazed his arm but nothing else. A family passing by gave me a wet wipe and a plaster and said "did you get a boo-boo?" We sat and calmed him for a while and then he got back on. I could tell it took a lot of courage for him to cycle after that but at least he started using his brakes better and was more confident on the downhills.

We stopped at the beach for a muffin and a water. We sat on a log watching the lake. Small ate his while Smallest chose to eat his grapes first then I handed him the box with mine and his muffin in. Guess who's ended up face down in the sand? Yes, mine! The clumsy so and so. The boys gave me a crumb each of theirs, it's a good job I had my ice-cream (though it was tiny!).

We finally got back to the car, krypton factored the bikes in and drove home. I am so very proud of my boys, cycling all that way. It was a lot to ask but they really enjoyed it and they both thanked me for a lovely day. Do you know, we didn't have one argument all day as well! Fabulous.

Huffle was already home when we got back, so it was a quick egg on toast for Small, a change of tops and they were gone. I am expecting them back shortly.

Smallest and I played Carcasonne and then he had Imported guest soup for dinner.

We went out and played in the garden and we had a visit rom Mrs Royal. We all played football and basketball whilst wandering around the garden looking at plants and planning future developments. Mrs Royal has offered to babysit for us so Huffle and I can go out on Friday evening to see a Jazz musician. Yay. noCustard also offered but she lives quite a way away.

Small soaked his 'potato' feet in a bowl of hot water whilst playing on the IPad. I put him to bed, read him a story and then made myself a vegetable omelette (using a small courgette too ha!) and sat and watched Call the Midwife. The big boys came home, Small had had a fabulous time and they had managed to get in 18 holes (though they only paid for 9!).

My foot is really hurting me. Must do my exercises, must wear proper shoes!!!!!!!

 

 

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